Russell Wilson crashed and burned down the stretch with the Steelers in 2024, and another report coming out further proves Broncos made the correct decision. Denver's decision to cut Wilson last offseason and take on an NFL-record $85 million in dead cap was quite the bold move, but the front office clearly thought it needed to be done.
Ever since, the Broncos drafted Bo Nix with the 12th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and made the playoffs. Russell Wilson signed a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers, went 6-5 as a starter, and was the starter for the Steelers five-game losing streak to end the season.
Overall, the Russell Wilson experience in Pittsburgh was a lot like how it was in Denver, and Mark Kaboly, a Steelers media figure, broke a report about the relationship between Russell Wilson and Arthur Smith, their offensive coordinator:
“I thought the way he conducted himself makes that a legitimate thought or idea”
— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly) January 15, 2025
Mark Kaboly / Steelers Correspondent
For The @PatMcAfeeShow
PITTSBURGH — At this point, Mike Tomlin has no idea who his starting quarterback will be next year and that’s definitely not a place you… pic.twitter.com/U7XjAWDFPu
"Still, despite Wilson and Smith spending countless hours together after the typical workday watching film and publicly joking about it, a team source recently said that Wilson and Smith did not have a very good working relationship but fought through their differences as best they could."Mark Kaboly
Are we shocked? The answer is no. Russell Wilson has always seemed to have had a piece about him that makes him a bit difficult to work with. We have seen his former teammates come out of the woodwork here and there and actually say negative things about him. For as positive and uplifting as Russell Wilson can be, he also seems to bring a ton of attention and has rubbed teammates the wrong way.
And perhaps he has also rubbed Arthur Smith the wrong way as well. For the veteran QB, it might be time to give up the idea of being a starter in the NFL. It's clear that he's not an effective QB anymore, and an NFL offense just cannot function with Russell Wilson at the helm. The Broncos took a huge gamble on Wilson when they swung a trade for him back in the 2022 NFL Season.
You can't really fault George Paton for making a move like that - it didn't work, and they moved on. It will be quite interesting to see what the Pittsburgh Steelers do at the QB position going forward. Wilson probably didn't show enough to be brought back, but it's the Steelers.
If the Steelers don't re-sign Russell Wilson, they may be open to bringing Justin Fields back as their starter in 2025. That would leave Wilson as a free agent for the second offseason in a row and would also force him to answer a ton of internal questions about if he can play in the NFL anymore.
Another damning report about Russell Wilson further proves that the Denver Broncos made the right decision.